Kim Jamerson

Kim JamersonVice President of Marketing SharpSpring

Describe your role as Vice President of Marketing of SharpSpring.

I manage an amazing team of talented marketing and design professionals at SharpSpring that helps attract new potential customers and convert them to sales on the front end, and then improve engagement and retention once customers come on board. Our team also works hard to build SharpSpring’s brand to attract customers, partners and employees to spur company growth.

How do you set and attain goals?

I think most folks grapple with this, myself included, and my philosophy has changed over time. Currently, I set goals really high and potentially out of reach. It makes me push myself harder, and even if I miss goals, I feel confident that I got further than I would have if I’d been conservative in setting them. This only works because I’ve done my best to adopt a progress, not perfection sentiment, meaning that I move forward with my best work as quickly as I can and then build upon it later. I’ve struggled with this because I’m a perfectionist by nature, but I’ve found that I reach goals faster now than with other approaches.

What do you think your strengths are and how did you identify them?

I think my biggest strength is knowing my weaknesses and working to improve them. For example, admitting mistakes was really hard for me early in my life and career because of my perfectionist tendencies. Thanks to some fantastic mentors and managers, I’ve learned to take responsibility for my mistakes as soon as I realize I’ve made them now. I also take responsibility for my employees’ mistakes wherever I can and coach them to do the same. Additionally, I do my best to acknowledge team members for their accomplishments. The amazing managers who I’ve had, has showed me that this approach, and being willing to admit imperfections upfront, is great way to build trust among a team and help each other grow. I’ve embraced this and emulate them whenever I can.

How have your setbacks and weaknesses made you stronger?

A big setback for me was when the company I worked for a few years back got purchased and I learned I was getting laid off due to redundancy. I was blindsided, but thankfully the company gave me a three-month runway to find the next job. After an extensive search and review of job options, I picked SharpSpring, a startup that presented a unique opportunity to grow. I confess. I was a little nervous, but it’s the best leap I’ve made career-wise! In the two short years I’ve been here, the company has grown tremendously, and I went from overseeing a marketing program to managing a marketing department that’s expanded from five folks to 20 plus employees. There have certainly been ups and downs along the way, but it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had, and I don’t regret a minute of it.

You went skydiving for your 40th birthday. Falling 10,000 feet in the air is terrifying. What scares you and how do you respond to your fears?

There’s not much that scares me anymore. The two things that still give me pause are anything related to birds and heights. When it comes to birds, I’ve decided that I’ll let that one ride. I don’t need to run an aviary to overcome that fear, although my first public relations campaign was a “save the mottled duck” initiative in Florida, so there’s that. Regarding heights and other fears I’ve had, I decided to take it head on. I’ve gone rock climbing, spelunking (cave diving) and skydiving because I didn’t want any fear to limit what I wanted to do. There was a moment in each of these scenarios in which I panicked. But I believed I could do it and made myself plow through it. I’m a bit of an adrenaline junky, so tackling fears has an immediate payoff for me, but I truly believe that anyone – perhaps in less extreme ways – can apply the same principles to be successful.

What are you passionate about?

I’m not passionate about a specific issue. I want to make and encourage others to make a positive change in every circle of influence that we can, inside and out. The innermost (circles) are family, friends and coworkers many whom I consider friends and family. I want to help them directly whenever I can. I work hardest here because I believe helping each other will improve the lives of so many more people and their broader circles of influence in ways that focusing on one specific organization could ever help. Next, our local community. I look for ways to volunteer my time or donate money to help folks struggling in my area, concurrently national and global issues. I look for opportunities to talk about and influence the conversation by donating my time or money or just speaking out about issues that I think matter most.

How do you define what it means to be a fierce woman?

I’ll admit. I hate this question because it has “woman” tacked onto the word, fierce. I think being fierce should be the same regardless of gender. Sure, there are cultural norms that we’re still working to improve, but I believe that both professionally and personally, fierce should connote a willingness: To take action when you feel confident that you’re doing the right thing, yet acknowledging you might be wrong; to learn from your mistakes along the way and to be dedicated to adjustment based on what you’ve learned but still be willing to make the next decision and knowing that you might make another mistake. You’ve got to be able to make decisions, acknowledge when they’re the wrong choices, pivot and keep learning. Then rinse and repeat. That, and laughter. We all have to be willing to laugh at ourselves, our mistakes and each other in a good-hearted way.

Enjoy the March Issue!

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